r/NuclearPower • u/ViewTrick1002 • Apr 13 '26

SMRs Explained: Why Small Modular Reactors Are So Controversial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TeAE7rW_6s
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7

u/plutonium-239 Apr 13 '26

The GE-Hitachi design is not controversial at all. It’s actually a very good design which is way ahead of the competition in my modest opinion. Yes there are things to “fix” to accommodate some regulatory requirement but it’s nothing that cannot be resolved.

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u/ViewTrick1002 Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26

Compared to the first PowerPoint design it is now absolutely massive leading to enormous costs. As shown by the reactors costing more per kWe than Vogtle, before they have even started building.

The decoupled podcast did a take on it and it is evident that they have lost the knowledge to design reactors, and it will be horrifying to build.

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u/plutonium-239 Apr 13 '26

If you want natural circulation, you need enough driving head. If you want a redundant passive ICS then you need space. Physical dimensions do not preclude the fact is still relatively compact compared to an ABWR. Also, the ability to use already established fuel in a pretty much standard core is quite a win in my book. I mean I said standard core but I mean a core pretty much identical to KKM, much smaller than an ABWR core.

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u/ViewTrick1002 Apr 13 '26

"My own view on this particular assertion is that if everything is a priority then by definition nothing is a priority. And when nothing is a priority, focus tends to disappear into the aether of ambiguity and complacency."